By Rick Griffin
After losing their jobs as radio disc jockeys in January of this year, A.J. Machado and Sara Perry, former co-hosts of the “AJ and Sara Morning Show” heard on Entercom Communications’ KXSN-FM Sunny 98.1, built a website to stay in touch with loyal listeners.
“We were expecting to announce soon on our website our new radio station home,” said Machado. But then COVID-19 hit.
“Several terrestrial stations expressed interest in us, but they kept saying, ‘wait until this-or-that happens’” Machado told Times of San Diego. “Finally, we got tired of waiting. So, we decided to turn our radio show into a radio station.”
AJ and Sara Radio, the name of their station, launched Oct. 2 and can be heard 24/7 on the web, www.ajandsara.com, as well as on smart speakers and the AJ and Sara Radio app on both Apple and Android devices.
Machado and Perry, both with 19 years of experience working in the San Diego radio market, were paired together for two years at KXSN. On AJ and Sara Radio, they host a weekday morning show from 7 to 10 a.m., followed by 21 remaining hours featuring an adult contemporary format with an expanded playlist of ‘80s and ‘90s music. Commercial spots are scheduled to be added in November.
“It wasn’t easy to build a radio station, everything was a struggle and a challenge,” said Machado. “I learned a lot about music licensing, apps and technology, forming an LLC and the business side of everything. I thought it would take a few weeks, and it’s been nearly six months since the decision was made to go our own direction.”
Machado said he’s not the first. Other radio personalities in other U.S. markets have operated their own online stations over the past couple of years.
“Our current big challenge is to grow our audience and let people know they can now connect again with AJ and Sara,” said Machado. “Both Sara and I work together well as a team and it’s always lots of fun. Hopefully, our listeners will enjoy what we’re giving them and they will tell their friends.”
San Diego Press Club to Host Webinar with Grammar Guru
Richard Lederer, language columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune and usage editor of the Random House Dictionary, will share his favorite grammar and punctuation tips at the San Diego Press Club’s next “Write Better Right Now,” a one-hour writing improvement webinar from 6 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The free webinar, held over the Zoom online meeting platform, is open to the public. Lederer will answer questions about “who” or “whom,” “that” or “which,” “is or are” and other correct grammar rules. Lederer also will discuss terminal prepositions, split infinitives, “hopefully” as a floating adverb and “they” as a third-person singular pronoun.
Zoom membership is not required to participate in the webinar. To register for the webinar, visit www.sdpressclub.org. The Write Better Right Now webinar is part of the Press Club’s longstanding “Nuts & Bolts” educational series, which is designed to promote better writing.
Lederer is the author of more than 50 books about language, history and humor, including his best-selling Anguished English series and The Write Way, plus his current titles, A Treasury of Halloween Humor and A Treasury of Christmas Humor. He is a founding co-host of “A Way With Words,” heard on KPBS-FM.
His syndicated column, “Lederer on Language,” appears in newspapers and magazines throughout the U.S., including the Union-Tribune. He has been named International Punster of the Year and Toastmasters International’s Golden Gavel winner.
His 400th syndicated column, which ran earlier this year, was titled “Here’s a Useful List of 50 Rules for Writing Good.” Among his rules:
- Never use no double negatives
- Don’t use commas, that aren’t necessary
- Don’t write run-on sentences they are hard to read
- Proofread carefully to see if you any words out
- By observing the distinctions between adjectives and adverbs, you will treat your readers real good
- Who needs rhetorical questions?
- Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake
Cox Communications Supporting Computer Collection Effort
Cable-TV provider Cox Communications is supporting “Meet the Need,” a citywide effort to collect computers for Computers 2 Kids, a local nonprofit that recycles and refurbishes used computers for families in need.
Other supporters of the computer drive, which runs through Oct. 31, includes the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, San Diego County Office of Education and San Diego City Councilman Chris Cate, District 6.
San Diego County residents and businesses of all sizes are encouraged to donate computers, laptops, tablets, keyboards, printers, scanners, copiers, routers, network components and other electronics equipment that will be refurbished and given to students for their distance-learning-at-home activities. For donation details, visit www.c2sdk.org/meettheneed.
Over the past five years, Cox Communications in San Diego reports it has donated nearly 17,000 computers to Computers 2 Kids whenever the company has swapped out its office computers for new systems. In addition, in May of this year, Cox donated $250,000 to the nonprofit, which includes $220,000 in cash and $30,000 in broadcast advertising airtime.
“We encourage other businesses of all sizes to donate any computers they no longer or that may be sitting in storage collecting dust,” said Sam Attisha, senior VP and region manager of Cox Communications. “Computers 2 Kids makes the donation process so easy and reusing is the new recycling. Let’s put a device in hands of all families that have a need.”
San Diego AMA Presents SEO Bootcamp
The American Marketing Association San Diego chapter will present its annual SEO Bootcamp from 9:30 a.m. to noon, Friday, Oct. 23 over Zoom. Cost to attend is $150 for members, $200 for nonmembers.
Discussion topics will include how search engines work, organic search strategies, market trends and recent algorithm and Google Search Engine Results Page changes. Also covered will be copywriting.
According to Sam Wheeler, 2020-2021 AMA president, attendance will be limited because the bootcamp will be a virtual workshop with each participant receiving a personalized SEO audit analysis from Inseev Interactive. Registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 16. For registration information, visit sdama.org.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.